Biopsy samples have been obtained in a variety of ways in various medical procedures using a variety of devices. Biopsy devices may be used under stereotactic guidance, ultrasound guidance, MRI guidance, PEM guidance, BSGI guidance, or otherwise. For instance, some biopsy devices may be fully operable by a user using a single hand, and with a single insertion, to capture one or more biopsy samples from a patient. In addition, some biopsy devices may be tethered to a vacuum module and/or control module, such as for communication of fluids (e.g., pressurized air, saline, atmospheric air, vacuum, etc.), for communication of power, and/or for communication of commands and the like. Other biopsy devices may be fully or at least partially operable without being tethered or otherwise connected with another device. An exemplary biopsy device is the MAMMOTOME® brand device from Devicor Medical Products, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Further exemplary biopsy devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,822, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Automated Biopsy and Collection of Soft Tissue,” issued Jun. 18, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,544, entitled “Control Apparatus for an Automated Surgical Biopsy Device,” issued Jul. 11, 2000; U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0109803, entitled “MRI Compatible Surgical Biopsy Device,” published Jun. 12, 2003; U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0074345, entitled “Biopsy Apparatus and Method,” published Apr. 6, 2006; U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0118048, entitled “Remote Thumbwheel for a Surgical Biopsy Device,” published May 24, 2007; U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0214955, entitled “Presentation of Biopsy Sample by Biopsy Device,” published Sep. 4, 2008; U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0171242, entitled “Clutch and Valving System for Tetherless Biopsy Device,” published Jul. 2, 2009; U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0152610, entitled “Hand Actuated Tetherless Biopsy Device with Pistol Grip,” published Jun. 17, 2010; U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0160819, entitled “Biopsy Device with Central Thumbwheel,” published Jun. 24, 2010; and U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/483,305, entitled “Tetherless Biopsy Device with Reusable Portion,” filed Jun. 12, 2009. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patents, U.S. Patent Application Publications, and U.S. Patent Applications is incorporated by reference herein.
In some settings, it may be desirable to mark the location of a biopsy site for future reference. For instance, one or more markers may be deposited at a biopsy site before, during, or after a tissue sample is taken from the biopsy site. Exemplary marker deployment tools include the MAMMOMARK™, MICROMARK®, and CORMARK™ brand devices from Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Further exemplary devices and methods for marking a biopsy site are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/563,360, entitled “Flexible Biopsy Marker Delivery Device,” filed Sep. 21, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/564,315, entitled “Biopsy Marker Delivery Device,” filed Sep. 22, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/565,968, entitled “Biopsy Marker Delivery Device with Positioning Component,” filed Sep. 24, 2009; U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0209854, entitled “Biopsy Method,” published Aug. 20, 2009; U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0270725, entitled “Devices Useful in Imaging,” published Oct. 29, 2009; U.S. Pub. No. 2010/0049084, entitled “Biopsy Marker Delivery Device,” published Feb. 25, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,055, entitled “Devices for Marking and Defining Particular Locations in Body Tissue,” issued May 8, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,904, entitled “Subcutaneous Cavity Marking Device and Method,” issued Apr. 16, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,375, entitled “Tissue Site Markers for In Vivo Imaging,” issued Jan. 31, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,433, entitled “Imageable Biopsy Site Marker,” issued Feb. 7, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,957, entitled “Devices for Defining and Marking Tissue,” issued May 16, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,063, entitled “Tissue Site Markers for In Vivo Imaging,” issued May 16, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,417, entitled “Methods for Marking a Biopsy Site,” issued Jun. 12, 2007; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,465,279, entitled “Marker Device and Method of Deploying a Cavity Marker Using a Surgical Biopsy Device,” issued Dec. 16, 2008. The disclosure of each of the above-cited U.S. Patents, U.S. Patent Application Publications, and U.S. Patent Applications is incorporated by reference herein.
It may be desirable in some (but not necessarily all) settings to deploy markers through a biopsy device into the biopsy site, such as by using a flexible tubular deployer. In addition or in the alternative, it may be desirable to deploy markers through other types of cannulas.
While several structures and methods have been made and used for providing and using a marker applier device, it is believed that no one prior to the inventors has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.